American Civilization

Whom do you think were the most influential figures in American history? Here’s a list compiled by The Atlantic Monthly (Check it out) Who should have been on this list? Who shouldn’t have been on this list? Please post a comment and let me know what you think.

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The recent November mid-term elections were very big for women. Nine new women were elected to Congress, for a total of 82. Female representation in Congress will jump about 16 percent. Two of the new representatives were elected to the Senate, which brings its female total to 16, a record number of women senators. In [...]

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This Thursday Americans will celebrate the holiday called Thanksgiving. Students will have days off from school – anywhere from a whole week or just simply Thursday and Friday. This November holiday traces its roots to the 17th century Pilgrims of Massachusetts. It’s supposed to be a celebration of the shared meal and harmonious relationship between [...]

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What I like: Senator Barbara Boxer from California will be chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Her strong committment to environmental issues will definitely bring a fresh perspective to Washington, D.C. I’m sure that there will be discussion of climate change and global warming. During the 2004 presidential campaign I was at an [...]

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Now that the mid-term election is over, members of Congress are returning to Washington, D.C. But, there’s a mixed review on what exactly this “lame duck” Congress might accomplish. Why the term “lame duck”? Think of it as a duck who is now unable to move or to accomplish much at all. In other words, [...]

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Today’s a holiday in the U.S. and we’re off…it’s the first day off we’ve had since school began in August. The occasion? An annual U.S. holiday called Veterans’ Day…. which Californians celebrate on November 11. Because the 11th is a Saturday this year, we have Friday, November 10, off for the holiday. Veterans’ Day was [...]

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Reports on election morning in California suggested that the election excitement sweeping across most of the nation was not reaching California. The turnout was not expected to be any better than 2002′s record low, when only 50.6 percent of registered voters showed up at the polls, according to a Field Poll estimate. CNN did report [...]

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The results are in…..and most people I know are feeling fairly happy today….or, at least, hopeful about the results in the Congressional elections. The U.S. Congress is composed of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives. The « House » has 435 members; the number [...]

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Finally, next Tuesday will be the mid-term election. Of course, I’m interested in who will win, but I’m also curious about voter turnout. One big question is whether large numbers of voters will turn out next week. In recent elections Californians have not enthusiastically turned out at the polls. A democracy is based on the [...]

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